Ja-Mericans fear Trump mass deportaion plan

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Several Jamaicans living in the United States are furious that Donald Trump has been elected as the 45th President of the country, regarded as the most powerful on earth.

As Donald Trump votes grew Tuesday night, social media was bombarded with memes - some suggesting that when Jamaicans open up barrels from the USA this Christmas, they will be greeted by their aunts and cousins, instead of clothes and food.

But Natasha Peart seemed serious when she spoke to THE STAR about the implications the results of the polls could have on undocumented Jamaicans living in the USA.

"Jamaicans here who are illegal might have to go home because he has said numerous times that he will be clamping down on illegal migrants," Peart said, who resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Throughout his campaign, Trump has threatened to rid the United States of illegal immigrants.

undocumented Jamaicans

However, another Jamaican in Atlanta, Georgia, said that he doesn't think that Trump will execute some of things he promised on the on the campaign trail thus undocumented Jamaicans in the United States should not worry.

"I don't think undocumented Jamaicans will be affected by the results because most of the rhetoric he states during the campaign was just to stimulate the base of his support," Steve Julal said.

Jamaica's Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks, recently revealed that some 20,000 Jamaicans have been deported from the United States to Jamaica over the past 10 years.

Jamaica has also received the highest share of individuals deported from the US on criminal grounds, with those convicted of criminal offences accounting for 90 per cent of Jamaicans deported, the ambassador said.

"Nearly 90 per cent of Jamaicans returned from all countries, namely the United Kingdom and Canada, during this period were deported for reasons unrelated with violent crimes, the most common offence's being immigration and drug-related offences," Marks said.

may impact

Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller yesterday said that Trump's victory is an expression of the confidence of Americans in his ability to push for the changes in Washington that many have advocated for over the years.

She, however, noted that throughout his campaign, Trump offered policy solutions which she said "may impact immigrant communities in the United States".

"We have some concerns, since Jamaicans are a big part of the immigrant community in the US. We hope that he will quickly reach across the political divide in the US and try to build bridges in the global space so that we can continue to foster peace and development around the world," Simpson Miller said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has extended congratulations on behalf of the Government and people of Jamaica, Trump.

He said that there is a shared commitment to achieving and maintaining economic growth and development for the benefit of the peoples of both countries and for the peoples of the hemisphere.